Burgopak Success with Help from Medica Packaging

March 2009

Medica Packaging, Crewe, Benson Group's 100% pharmaceutical business, has revealed details of its work with Burgopak, the company that specialises in the differentiation of pharmaceutical products in a highly competitive market.

The pharmaceutical packaging industry has been tasked with finding the right balance between usage, senior-friendly accessibility and child-resistance. Burgopak's Pharma Series of packaging presents an impressive solution: the single- and double-blister packs slide out to reveal both the blister and the attached patient information leaflet.

Burgopak worked closely with Medica Packaging in the creation of sample packages for the US market. The sample packs were created for testing by Perritt Laboratories to establish that the Burgopak solutions met the US Consumer Product and Safety Commission's requirements for child resistence and senior accessibility.

Commenting on the contribution of Medica Packaging, Mark Symonds, Burgopak, said: "Medica were particularly helpful in assisting us with the selection of the right board to use for this carton. The card wrap needed to be hard wearing and tear resistant, but still offer the right print characteristics and weight. The creation of the packs included some 12 months of testing and evaluation prior to submission to Perritt Laboratories."

Burgopak successfully achieved the US Consumer Product and Safety Commission's F=1 standard for child-resistant effectiveness and senior friendly standard. This is in conformity with US regulatory standards for poison prevention packaging. The latest addition to Burgopak's Pharma Series achieved the F=1 standard with impressive results (child-resistant effectiveness at 98%, and senior adult use effectiveness at a pass rate at 95%). Named, Burgopak continues to advance the technology of pharmaceutical compliance packaging with its compelling designs.

Patient compliance is one of the most hotly discussed topics in the pharmaceutical industry today and represents a challenge for healthcare providers and manufacturers alike. Burgopak's sliding packs ensures that all compliance and safety information remains conveniently attached to the medicine at all times, whilst also being portable and easy to use.

Already in use in the UK with Bayer's Rennie® ICE "Pocket Pack" line of over-the-counter antacids, Burgopak's sliding package designs have received numerous accolades, including the "Compliance Package of the Year" (US Healthcare Compliance Packaging Council) in 2007 and "Best Compliance Package" at Pharmapack in 2008. Burgopak currently offers single-blister, double-blister and senior-friendly designs that can be customized to accommodate nearly any pill, blister or leaflet size.

Burgopak's recent partnership with RxPak, a subsidiary of McKesson Corporation, will bring its pioneering pharmaceutical packaging style to the American market in 2010. Fully automated production on state-of-the-art Bosch Sigpack machinery makes the Burgopak design solution a cost-effective, reliable and entirely customizable unit dose package.

The flexibility of the package also allows the incorporation of patient loyalty or reward cards, and its compact size ensures it is ideally suitable for travel and on-the-go use. The pack's high structural integrity extends its lifespan and ensures the patient retains the entire pack intact at all times.

Commenting on the success of the package, Sarah Serlenga, Sales Manager at Medica Packaging, said: "We have been working with Burgopak for some time, and it was a pleasure to be involved in this challenging project. Child-resistant pharmaceutical packs are a hot industry topic, and so it was good for Medica to be involved in the creation of this impressive solution. We are, of course, delighted with the finished product, and also with the news that the pack has passed close examination by the appropriate US regulatory bodies."